I remembered when I moved out of my own parents home to my first apartment right before Luisa and I got married. The thrill of the new place that I called my own, and the uncertainty of what was to come next. I remembered flipping all of the lights on in the entire place because I could and then coming to the realization, "Hey, I'm paying for this now. It costs money." and then shutting off the lights except for the room I was in.
Luisa and I have been waiting for this moment, to begin our own next phase of our life for quite some time. Not because we were anxious for both of our sons to leave, but because this is what parents are supposed to do. Put all of their time, energy and focus in their children. Raising them to be independent and to think for themselves but to nurture them with a foundation that allows them to be amazing adults and contributing members of our society. To take the best of what we have taught them, to learn from where we fell short, and to strive to do better than the previous generations that have come before them.
I have a lot of bird feeders around the house including a humming bird one right outside the kitchen window. I am amazed at how many birds surround our house and enjoy viewing them as I drink my coffee. I have a special affinity to the Cardinals and have written about their visits in past posts, reminding me of my parents who lived at Cardinal Woods Way.
In Erin and Nick's new place, they have a very cool patio area and for all of the grief that Nick gives me about how I love the birds, he mentioned that they can get some bird feeders and place it there so they can watch the birds come to feed as well :)
I couldn't help but think of the symbolism of the birds I constantly watch to Nick and Erin leaving their respective homes to start their new adventure and life in a new place. In a Boston University Blog post, entitled Nature vs Nurture: How do baby birds learn how to fly?, the author wrote:
To Nick, when mom and I made a decision to move from NJ to SC almost 27 years ago, it was for Dan and for YOU even though we did it almost 2 years before you were born. We made the decision to lift up our roots and move to a new place, not knowing anybody, to create a better life where your mom would stay home to raise you and your brother. To dedicate every second of every day to benefit both of you and raise you both how we thought best. To position our family better financially, but also to primarily enable us to dedicate more time with you until this point.
The excitement in us beginning our empty nest phase is a combination of your mom and I wanting to focus on each other and remind us of what it was like before you guys came into our life, but also for her and I to celebrate what we believe was a "mission accomplished" moment having given our blood, sweat and tears to you both. To toast many glasses to each other and smile at what we have accomplished. Yes, though you don't like hearing it this way, but to create our legacy.
Which brings me to the next point. You and your brother ARE indeed our legacy. When you are in your new town, with the love of your life, remember who you are, where you came from, what values we instilled in you, what things we taught you and what we deemed important for you to remember and understand. Primarily the values of Love, Family, Faith, Respect, Honor, Your Heritage and the hard work that came before you that you and Erin will indeed build upon.
This is your chance to spread your wings but also realize that we are just a phone call or roughly 2 hours away from you. Just like some of the birds that hover over their babies to ensure that they can successfully learn to fly, we will watch from afar as you do the same and are here should you need us. We love you and want nothing but the best for you both.
Now Spread your Wings and Fly!
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